Accepted
by xxxShi.Ro
Summary: Hogwarts gains a new student, and much more. Akuma have been converging on the castle. To gather information, and for the sake of protection, the Black Order needs to infiltrate Hogwarts. The war is surely becoming more complicated, on both ends.
1. Favour

**Disclaimer: You really think I could own Harry Potter and D. Gray-man? Then I suggest you get your head checked.**

* * *

FAVOUR

* * *

Komui Lee looked at the finder in front of him as though she had lost her mind.

"Magic? Are you sure?"

"Yes, whilst investigating the Innocence, we've stumbled upon a magical community."

"Are you sure that this magic is simply not just an effect of the Innocence?"

"At first, I thought that there was a possibility, but after carefully gathering information, I have come to conclude that the magical community is large, and spans the globe, and has also dated back for centuries. It is a power separate from the Innocence."

Komui stroke his chin in thought.

The finder continued.

"However, there does seem to be Innocence located at one of the magical locations, or at any rate, something the akuma seem to be interested in. It seems to be an old ruin in Scotland, but our information tells us that it is one of the world's best magical schools, Hogwarts. The akuma have persistently been trying to get through the wards around the school. For now, they hold, but they will surely weaken soon."

Komui gaped, sorting, filing and analyzing the information in his brain.

"Very well, please, tell me all information you have managed to gather on this magical community."

Cross Marian was eavesdropping outside of the door to the supervisor's office, a mischievous smirk making its way across his features. It seemed the information was a bit of a shock to Komui, and he was having a hard time processing it, and his next plan of action, but Cross wasn't going to make it any easier for them, that wasn't his job, now was it? Instead, he was off to put his own mischievous plans into action.

He hadn't officially been part of the wizarding world for years, but he kept up with the goings on in the magical community. He had seen the signs, had known that the idiot Riddle was rising again. He had also read the papers, aware that the even bigger idiot, Fudge, and his ministry, had refused to open their eyes and see the truth, and would be making a late start into the game that he knew they would probably contribute nothing to.

He had never involved himself in the war before, as far as he saw it, that wasn't his place. Born of magical blood, he may be, but he was first and foremost, an exorcist, and the wizarding war was just a normal, human war. That is to say, he had never openly contributed to the war, but, if he did run across a couple of death eaters by chance, he didn't hesitate to give them what was coming, but the wizarding world was supposed to pull through on its own, he had a bigger war to worry about. However, as prior mentioned, he still kept tabs on the wizarding world, just in case he ever came across any information that may be useful to him. There were some people in the wizarding world that could probably help a lot, though they may not be exorcists, Dumbledore, for one; the old man was rather insightful and open minded at times.

Though he decided previously that he would not assist Komui, he decided that what he was about to do wasn't help Komui, more like mess with the life of his apprentice even further. He spun on the spot, and apparated into Hogsmeade. It was time to visit an old acquaintance.

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, his office very trashed, seemingly absorbed in his thoughts. Then he broke the silence.

"You know, you could use the door like everyone else," he chuckled amusedly, turning to look at his window.

On the windowsill sat Cross Marian, red hair shining in the moonlight, cigarette held between his lips. Jumping into the room, and conjuring a comfy couch, he took a seat.

"Magical tornado?" he asked, gesturing to the state of the room.

Dumbledore smiled a sad smile.

"Worse, a teenager."

"Aah," Cross replied with understanding.

"So, what brings you out into the open, you never visit just for leisure's sake," Dumbledore said, with a slight tilt of the head, "After finishing your wizarding education, you practically vanished making contact only a few times."

"The war is starting again?"

"I'm afraid it is," Dumbledore said somberly, but with an air that said that it was inevitable, "Why are you concerned, if I remember correctly you've never been directly involved, or bothered with the war effort?"

"No reason," Cross replied, with a non committal shrug, taking a pull from his cigarette once more, "But it's not like I think that I could care less what happens, I just think that you all can pull through fine without my help."

"And you have things that you need to do," Dumbledore, more stated than asked, with one of his knowing smiles, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Cross shrugged again, "Got any champagne?"

Dumbledore laughed. Some people never change.

"No, I'm afraid not, but I do have some of Rosemerta's oak matured mead," he replied, summoning the bottle and conjuring two goblets. He poured, and Cross took his cup. While the other took his first sip, Dumbledore continued to speak.

"I know that you have your reasons for disappearing Marian, and I know that it is something important that you have to do, I could always see it, though I know not what it is. I see that to you, it is more important than this war, and thus, I cannot blame you for pursuing that instead of helping with the war efforts. You have always seemed to carry a large weight on your shoulders."

Cross smiled, but confirmed nothing. Instead he said, "Nah, I'd just rather spend my time drinking fine wine in the company of pretty ladies than stress myself trying to bring down an idiot snake."

"So, why are you here?" Dumbledore asked, eyes still twinkling.

"Well, Albus, believe it or not, I have a favour to ask," the red head said with a grin.

"Surprisingly, I don't find that remotely hard to believe," the old wizard chuckled.

"Well, it's about my apprentice," Cross began, noting with amusement how Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at the thought of the word apprentice, "What?"

"Well, it's just the thought of you having an apprentice, I pity the child," the old man smiled with humour, "Do go on."

"Yes, well, due to circumstances I cannot reveal, I am currently unable to continue teaching him for the time being due to my mission, and, as such, I was wondering if you would take in the boy to finish his education at Hogwarts," the General finished.

"Am I ever going to know what this never ending mission of yours is?"

"Not a chance," Cross shot back. Dumbledore's eyes continued to twinkle.

"What year would the boy be in?"

"Seventh."

"Well, I see no reason not to. However, these are troubling times, I feel badly for asking this, but you are sure he's not of the enemies ranks, right?"

"Positive."

"Well, then, of course. Anything special you might want to tell me about the boy?" he said, the knowing smile and twinkle in place again.

"Well, I'd probably be lying if said he was your average seven teen year old, but don't worry, the boy can take care of himself, and more. He did train with ma after all."

"Talk about training under extreme conditions," Dumbledore muttered. Cross ignored him.

"Seeing as he's your apprentice, is he aware of your mission, whatever it is?"

"Somewhat."

"So, he can fight those strange creatures too?"

Cross didn't look shocked, because, in reality, he wasn't. Dumbledore was by no means stupid, and he had always been one of those annoying knowledge seeking people, so he just answered, "Yes."

The bearded wizard smiled his warm smile.

"I cannot tell you more however, Albus, for your safety, as well as confidentiality reasons. But, as my old friend, I believe I cannot be faulted in informing you that there is more than one major war that is going on at the moment. And, knowing you, I feel it fit to mention, that no matter how you wish to help, there is nothing you can do. There are some things in this world that only certain people are meant to do."

Dumbledore nodded sagely, and thought of his black haired, green eyed pupil, some guilt and sadness overcoming him. He understood very well, that there were some thing that just had to be done by some people. But that didn't mean, others couldn't give their support.

"I understand, but, you know, if you ever need anything, you shouldn't hesitate to ask, help can come in different forms, it doesn't necessarily have to mean fighting at your side."

Cross refilled his goblet, and sipped, nodding.

"So, on that topic, would sending the boy here be some means of protection due to this war?"

"Hadn't initially thought of that, but now that you mention it, that would be a bonus, but then again, I wonder if it may endanger the rest of the students," here, Cross paused to think, "Nah, they're in danger anyway, they'd be safer with him here," he concluded.

"I was about to say the same, but I fear not for the reasons you have. You think there's a chance we'll get caught in the cross fire of this other war, don't you?"

Cross paused for a minute, before saying, "There's more than a possibility."

"So that would be why I've been seeing some of those creatures on the outskirts of the wards recently?"

Cross nodded.

"Can you tell me why they seem to be targeting here?"

"Even I am not sure to the reason, old friend," Cross replied, an uncharacteristic serious look on his face. He knew that, as Komui suspected, there might be Innocence, but nothing so far had happened outside of normal magical activity, in the area, and he knew all too well, that things were never as they seem, especially with the Noah and the Earl as they're opponents. Things were about to get complicated, and soon, he knew it.

"So, back to Allen."

"Ah, so that is the boy?"

"Yes. Allen Walker, seventeen years, white hair, scar running down the left side of his face," Cross cleared his throat, searching for the right word, "Ahem, _disfigured _left arm, I would suggest that you don't pry into those topics too much."

"I see, anything else, I do need to know a little about him."

Here Dumbledore saw Cross smile a genuinely sincere, and heartwarming smile, which he knew were few and far between, "Well, he's a complete idiot, that's for sure, total martyr, to kind for his own good, but with his own little evil streak if pushed far enough," he snickered, oh how he loved torturing his idiot apprentice, the reactions alone were so worth it, "Gentlemanly at times, overwhelming sense of right and wrong, stupid, smart, clumsy, short, gets lost easily and he has a lot of potential," Cross finished, with the same rare smile gracing his features.

"Stupid and smart?" Dumbledore laughed.

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

"Oh, yeah, and tell the house elves in the kitchen the better be prepared to work," the redhead added as an afterthought, a smirk in place.

"Sound like he'll be good to have around. Well then, come September, the boy will be part of Hogwarts."

"Oh, and do you mind not mentioning that you know me, or that I arranged this," he added as an afterthought, "And have Fawkes send the acceptance letter to me, I'll pass it on to him via the proper channels."

Dumbledore nodded and did not even bother to question as to why that was important. With Cross, some things were better left unasked, that, he knew.

Then, Cross said, playfully, "So, you need a new Defense teacher again, huh? What do you do to them to run through so many in so little time?"

"Alas, I don't know, it seems the job may really be cursed."

"I suggest you advertise the vacancy. Somebody will turn up, trust me. You should really go for some new blood, instead of bringing in some old retired loon who doesn't even really want to be here. It might work wonders, you never know. I recommend you go with someone young, and up to the challenge, you'd find it might put quite a good spin on things. It would be rather refreshing, no? Bringing in old blood does nothing for improvement and moving forward, does it, if you don't recruit newcomers, how are you supposed to discover new talents, and bring more things to the table?"

Dumbledore looked on, contemplating what the man said. He had in fact, just decided that he would try persuading Horace Slughorn out of retirement, but, something of what Marian said did ring true. A new face, new opportunities, it would be good. But no one wanted the job, however, he decided he'd try one more time, and see what the world had to offer. If there was nothing, he'd just fall back on plan A.

"Very well, I do agree with you."

"Prayers are answered in the unlikeliest of ways," Cross finished with an almost-Dumbledore twinkle in his eyes, setting his goblet on Dumbledore's table, "Thanks Albus, and may god keep you well."

With that, he got up, and, for once, strode out of the office door.

"You too friend," the headmaster replied softly.

Walking down the empty hallways, Cross was deep in thought. He knew Allen already had a lot on his plate, and he didn't want to drag him into another war, but, if things were about to get out of hand, it would be better if Allen were here.

He knew from his travels, that the boy had potential for magic. Sometimes his gambling skills had absolutely nothing to do with his amazing cheating skills, not that he didn't have those too, but sometimes, it was inevitable to have a bad hand that you had no way of fixing, but the boy miraculously didn't. There were other things, incidents, that were obvious to anyone who knew the signs of latent magical potential being bottled up. But, Cross hadn't bothered to teach the boy to control. For, a wizard was but a normal person, with extra skills, you could say. Those skills were not necessarily used for some greater purpose, like the exorcists' Innocence. They were normal, with normal routine lives. Allen was not. He had a purpose, and an important one. He had no time to be shipped off to magic school when it was impossible for him to lead a normal, complacent magical life. And Cross didn't bother to inform the boy or teach him himself, for, if was going to be teaching Allen, it was on more pressing matters. For, as an exorcist, the fate of the world lay in Allen's hands, along with those of his comrades. Magic was unimportant in comparison to that. Innocence took first priority. He knew the boy would not hold it against him for not teaching him, because he knew that Allen knew better than anybody, what he had to do, and would've been the first one to say that saving the akuma and the people came first. Ironically, now, he needed his magic in order to blend in for the sake of saving the akuma and the people.

Also, as Dumbledore pointed out, Allen would more or less have some extra protection within the wards of Hogwarts, which Cross was glad for; he did care for his pupil after all. And, he may be able to relax and enjoy his stay at Hogwarts a little in between, but then again, knowing Allen, it would be all about the mission and watching out for others' safety. Just because Cross knew Allen couldn't have a normal life, didn't mean he agreed with it. The boy deserved to relax and experience some normal human experience at least once, so, despite this being a mission, he was hoping that Allen would be able to get a little more out of it. For a moment, he wondered what it would've been like if it wasn't for the Millennium Earl. Would Allen have been a normal seventh year worrying about N.E.W.T.S. and cheating at exploding snap? He smiled at the thought. But then, he would've probably never met his idiot apprentice, but still, the other's life would've been better, wouldn't it? Oh, well, what's done is done, and it was no sense thinking about how things might've been, because what was important was how things were, and where they were headed.

Furthermore, Cross thought it would be healthy if Allen spent more time in an environment where almost everyone didn't look at him as if he were going to snap and kill them at any moment. He was glad the boy didn't seem to let the whole fourteenth thing get to him. He held his head up high and walked forward, making his own path, determined to remain true to himself, his fighting spirit never wavering. Cross was proud, though you'd be hard pressed to find him admitting it. He had helped the order, making it possible for one, and if what he was hoping would happen, did, then possibly two, exorcists to infiltrate Hogwarts to be on the lookout for Innocence, Akuma and any sinister plots. Now the only problem, trying to squeeze in teaching the brat six years of magical knowledge in the little off time they would have on their mission in the up coming month. But, he would have to.

A week later, Komui sat at his desk, sorting through reports and documents he had gathered from finders on the magical world, focusing mainly on the ones in wizarding England. It turned out, that various finders who had been sent out to investigate possible Innocence fragment related occurrences, had found the source of strange phenomena to be due to the magical community, but it was that one finder, who had reported that the akuma had starting appearing around a certain wizarding institution. So it seemed that apart from the magic, there really was still a possibility of Innocence in the area.

Komui studied the documents. If there was Innocence they had to search and retrieve it, but the building was supposedly a school, how were they to search undetected. Also, the akuma needed to be taken care of. True they could breach the wards yet, but everyone knows disaster always follows soon after 'yet'. Also, if there was no Innocence, they had to figure out why the akuma were converging on the location, and, they still needed to be destroyed. Another thing was, he wanted more information on the wizarding world, especially if, in case, worse came to worse, and there was no Innocence, and the wizarding school had somehow become entangled in the war. Looking at a fairly recent wizarding news paper that the finder who first brought him the information had provided, he made up his mind. The paper was dated two days prior, and Komui was refraining from spending too much time on the moving pictures for now, that could wait. Instead, he had his eyes trained on the classifieds. Yes, an infiltration mission was the best bet in the situation.

Now, he just had one thing to do, find an exorcist, who was free, who could use magic, and who somehow managed to learn it, and pull off the job interview. Oh, his life was so easy! But before that, he still had some things he wanted to clear up, and comfirm, so, taking the coffee offered by Lenalee, he said, with a serious voice, "Lenalee, can you call Lavi and Bookman in here please?"

* * *

**So, this is , what, two years, after the current D. Gray-man timeline? Allen is seventeen, and a general. As for the HP timeline, it's currently at the end of the fifth book, and the main story takes place during Harry's sixth year. And, as mentioned, he will be going on a mission in the company of Cross, yes, poor Allen, but he'll live. Please, don't ask what the hell kinda mission requires two generals. Maybe Allen needs some guidance before they let him off on his own [okay, worse question, who in their bloody right mind lets **_**Cross**_** provide any sort of guidance for any young mind? More like they sent Allen to keep an eye on cross and keep him in check. Yeah, that sounds about right.] And, believe it or not, Cross does care about Allen.**

**Also, think about it. There's a war with the fate of the world at stake. Both Cross and Allen know that Allen has to master killing akuma and whatnot, you know, the urgent matters, and Cross knows that Allen hadn't unlocked the full potential of the Innocence yet, so would he really distract him with magic when the boy had a ways to go with mastering his innocence, which, given his job, is more important? Also, that would mean more work for Cross, so he just ignored it. Until now.**

**Oh, and I will be changing the HPB story, drastically, like more than likely, sticking to nothing in the original. Cuz think about it, with the appearance of akuma, a character as main and influential as Allen, and countless others, do you expect things to go the same as they would be otherwise. I will say it again, whereas some stories stick to the original storyline more or less, with a few deviations, and including the crossover characters, this will not, it will deviate greatly, and I will most likely be making it up as I go along. Not gonna even bother pulling out my HBP to refresh my memory on the events.**

**Other than that, what do you think? Do tell.**


	2. Birthday Cake

**A chapter! *gasp* I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry. But please enjoy. The rest of the author's note is at the end. I figured I'd save my ramblings for after you guys get your chapter which I have withheld for so long.**

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2. BIRTHDAY CAKE

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Komui had gathered all he could from the bookman about the wizarding world and this wizarding magic. It was amazing how many forms of 'magic' existed in the world, for all unexplainable powers were undoubtedly classified as magical; the innocence, the Noah's power, the power wielded by CROW and so much more…. This form of magic, he had learnt, was some innate ability to channel and utilize energy to much higher degrees than normal humans, or what the wizards called muggles.

After going through information the finders had brought him from the wizarding world and putting it together with the cornucopia of knowledge he had gathered from bookman, he had concocted a genius plan to get an exorcist into Hogwarts to keep a continuous eye on the situation there, and now, he could put it into action; he had finally found an exorcist who had the ability to channel this wizarding magic, and thankfully it was one who was a quick learner.

Yes… this would be much better than just sending someone out to lurk around the area and risk being spotted and perceived as an enemy by those in Hogwarts; this way, he would be provided with food, shelter, and inside information without much effort.

* * *

Allen Walker walked through the moonlit streets of Surrey. It had been a quiet few days and he was due to meet his master in London the next day. He decided to take a break from his trek and enjoy a few moments of peace under the starry sky while it presented itself.

The little balls of light twinkled merrily above, casting the illusion of serenity, of a world that was not in turmoil, where one could just sit and let their worries flow away in the gentle night breeze. Soon, it would be so, soon Allen and his friends would have the opportunity to sit together under the stars like this, chatting happily away without a care in the world. All wars had to end sometime, and Allen was determined to come out on top, with all his comrades. He smiled up at the stars, silently vowing this, reaffirming his resolve.

* * *

It had been two weeks into the summer holidays, and Harry Potter hadn't had any contact with the wizarding world. Oh, he knew that there were those standing watch over him, that Hermione and Ron had both written to him, but he couldn't be bothered. He hadn't opened the letters, he hadn't opened his windows, he hadn't even turned on his lights once. He got up, did whatever his aunt and uncle asked of him as quickly as possible and returned to his room, replaying one moment in his mind again and again.

Sirius… falling through the archway. He was gone. It was all his fault…

Countless tears were shed night after night. Harry couldn't take it, why him, why Sirius? The pain was too much, he just wanted Sirius back, he'd do anything to get him back, anything. His life had been at a standstill since that day, not even the prophecy had been able to shock him back into action. If Sirius were here, he'd be able to keep moving forward. He'd be able to digest the prophecy, to understand what he had to do, and then take action…. But as things were, that all seemed so far away, so unimportant…

Unable to bear it anymore, Harry snapped, slicing the stillness of the dark room.

"Why?" he screamed, dropping to his knees, tears leaking down his cheeks, "Why? I can't take it, I want him back. I'll do whatever it takes, please, can't you just give him back?"

Harry did not know who exactly it was he was pleading to, he didn't care. God, destiny, the universe, the magical bunny who rules all…. Whatever it was, he just needed to let the pain out and hope his appeal was heard by whatever greater power there was out there, and pray that power would take pity on him.

"I've lost so much. I love him, can't you return him. If he comes back to me, I'll do whatever you ask of me…. I'll win this war, I'll lose this war, I'll become Malfoy's slave, anything… anything at all…"

His voice began to crack, giving way to miserable sobs.

"Anything?" a high pitched voice brought Harry back to reality. Depressed and withdrawn as he was, his reflexes were still functioning. His hand made for his wand at once, while he got up and flipped on the light switch. The light blinded him momentarily, but eventually, a man came into focus.

The funniest looking man Harry had ever seen… fat, ugly, and those teeth…

"He's pointing his weapon at us, relo~"

And did that umbrella just TALK?

The presence of the weird man seemed to pull him out of his spiral of despair a little.

"Who are you, what do you want?" he asked, wand still pointed at the man, face still streaked with tears.

The man's grin widened a little.

"I am the Millennium Earl, and I'm here because you called me."

Harry looked at the man, puzzled and wary.

"What are you talking about, I didn't call you. Are you a Death Eater?" At that thought, rage welled up in Harry. He couldn't have his godfather back, but he should be putting his efforts into dealing with these evil bastards who killed him, these people Sirius spent most of his life fighting against, the real reason for all his pain and sadness…

"Reducto!"

There was an explosion in the room, blasting the wardrobe to splinters. The dust cleared, revealing the man standing in the middle, never having moved, yet unharmed. How could that be… Harry knew his aim was true.

"Aaaaaaahhh… he really did it! He tried to blow us up, relo!" the pumpkin umbrella shouted.

The Earl dusted off his shirt a little, "Harry, don't be so hostile, you did call me here. Don't you want to see Sirius again?"

Harry hesitated a moment, then berated himself for doing so; he should just learn to accept Sirius' death, why was he clinging to childish hope that he could be returned, when he knew it was impossible. This bastard was messing with him, and it was enraging him further. He shot a Confringo, directly at the man's head. The man pirouetted out of the way of the blast and appeared behind Harry's shoulder, yanking his wand out of his hand.

"Now now," he said, brandishing the wand at Harry, "Play nice, don't you want to hear what I have to say?"

Harry lunged at him, but he twirled out of the way.

"Earl-tama can bring back your friend, relo~" the pumpkin umbrella said.

"What? Don't mess with me, nothing can bring the dead back to life. Nothing!"

"Are you sure about that?" the Earl said, steering Harry to take a seat on his bed.

Harry struggled, but not as much as before, part of him secretly wished this man was telling the truth.

"Let go of me, Death Eater!" he said, trying to shake the Earl's hand off his shoulder.

"Harry, I already told you, I am not a Death Eater, I am the Millennium Earl."

"The who?" Harry said, giving up on struggling as there seemed to be no immediate threat to him, instead opting to garner a better grasp of the situation. He was, however, fully prepared to resume his resistance as soon as he heard enough.

"The Millennium Earl. I am the one who hears the pleas of the sorrowful and grants their wishes. I am something far bigger than your Death Eaters."

"Really… I've never heard of you before."

"So, are you ready to get your dear godfather back?"

"Umm… how do I know I can trust you?" Harry retorted icily, "Anyhow, there's no way to bring the dead back to life. None. He's gone…." Harry broke back into sobs, "He's gone, and he can't come back… it's all my fault... IT"S ALL MY FAULT!"

The Earl let Harry fall right back into his depression, regret, guilt and anger before speaking again..

"But Harry, you can make it better, fix it. You can give him a second chance. All you have to do is give me a little assistance, and I can have him back to you in a few minutes."

"C…can u really?"

With a wave of his hand, the Earl brought out a skeleton, with a star and the name Sirius engraved on its forehead.

"All you have to do is call out to him Harry… just say his name. If he hears you, and the pull of your bond is strong enough, he'll come to your side again."

Harry stared at the skeleton, a vortex of thoughts swirling in the chaos of his mind. He was at a loss, he wasn't thinking straight, he couldn't make out much in the confused state of his mind, but he could make out the battle going on in there…. Should he, or should he not?

The thoughts swirled…

Sirius was a call away, if he could bring him back, shouldn't he? No, interfering with the natural order of life was wrong, it had to be. Sirius would want to be back with him. No, Sirius died fighting, that's how he'd have wanted to go. Wouldn't he want to fight some more, to help Harry, to see their victory? Would Harry bring him back, possibly for him to suffer an even worse fate this time? Would this ceremony work? If it didn't, well, he wouldn't be any worse off than before, but if it did…. No, there had to be a catch, it couldn't be this easy. Would Harry have to sell his soul to this man in exchange? But he did say he would do anything. Would Sirius be glad to be brought back, or would he be disappointed in Harry? A ritual like this, surely it was dark magic, dabbling in dark magic…. Sirius would definitely be disappointed… everyone would be disappointed. He couldn't… It was wrong. He shouldn't. He wouldn't…

"SIRIUS!" Harry heard himself scream his godfather's name, not even realizing it at first, tears falling faster now. It was done, he waited….

The skeleton started to move, the Earl was grinning even more. It was dragging itself across the floor, toward Harry.

Harry inched forward, all the regret and fear he felt when he realized he had shouted Sirius' name vanished, being replace with hope.

"Sirius?"

"Harry?" Sirius' voice was strained, as though he was fighting to speak, "Harry, what have you done?"

Harry was confused, Sirius was mad at him, disappointed, he seemed pained. Mulling over these thoughts, it was only his naturally quick reflexes that allowed him to barely dodge Sirius' clawed hand.

His eyes opened wide, and he started to step backwards from the animated skeleton.

"Sirius, why?" he asked, as he dodged another strike. It seemed as though Sirius was trying hard to not attack Harry. Almost like he was fighting an Imperius curse.

"Because you made me an akuma, his slave. The Earl is making me do it."

Harry looked at the Earl, who was giggling.

"You! What have you done!"

"It's what you've done… you called him back. Now akuma, stop tarrying and take his skin for your own!"

The Sirius skeleton held its head in pain for a moment, before lunging at Harry.

"Harry, I'm sorry…" it mourned, as it flew toward him. He was too shocked, to scared, and to slow… he just couldn't dodge this one. He closed his eyes… prepared to go… to atone for what he did to Sirius. Now, in the afterlife, he'd be without his godfather, he'd be too ashamed to greet his parents. Even in death he'd be lonely, but that would be his penance…

Harry heard a crash. He opened his eyes, surprised to be standing alive still. He saw a blur of white, and a long black claw slash at Sirius who began to disintegrate, saying "Harry, I don't blame you. I'm happy… now… I want you to live on and be happy, I love you," then, before the last of him disappeared, he turned to the newcomer, and said "Thank you," before leaving Harry once more.

Harry sank to his knees, exhausted from the ordeal.

"Millennium Earl," the white haired stranger said, turning to the earl with a grave look on his face, before shooting toward him.

"Edge End!" he shouted, sending explosions toward the Earl who pulled a huge broad sword out of nowhere, and deflected.

"Allen Walker, must you always meddle in my plans?"

Harry started to hear sounds… people, calling his name, suddenly realizing that during his entire negotiations with the Earl, it had been eerily silent, a little too silent…

The Earl seemed to notice as well, for he said "We'll play later Allen, now is not the time."

"Bye bye Allen, relo~"

Spinning on the spot, the Earl disappeared.

The voices were getting closer. Allen walked toward Harry, asking "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Harry didn't respond. He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Most likely, they were Order members, or Dumbledore, maybe ministry officials… they could even be death eaters. Ironically, he'd prefer the last option the most. He should be glad that his allies were coming to his aid after such a traumatic experience, but he wasn't. He couldn't face them right now… he wouldn't.

Eyes still wide and wild, he ran toward the window… and jumped.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Allen jumped after him, catching him mid fall and landing expertly on his feet.

Harry forced his way out of Allen's arms, not even curious as to the identity of the strange boy.

"I have to get out of here!" Harry said, ducking through the hedges and into the neighbour's yard, before breaking off into a run. He just wanted to keep running. How long could he outrun the Order for, he could already hear them back out in the yard and streets, searching for a sign of him. He ducked into an alleyway to catch his breath for a minute.

"Hey! Wait up, what are you – "

Harry slammed his hand over the other boy's mouth, silencing him.

"Would you be quiet, they'll hear you!"

The alleyway was dark, Harry couldn't see the stranger very well. They were about the same height, that much he could tell, but not much else. Either way, he'd had enough of strange people for the day. He tightened his grip on his wand, which he had instinctively picked back up before jumping out the window.

Allen removed Harry's hand, and spoke, softer this time, "Are you hurt?" he repeated.

"No."

The boy seemed to scrutinize him, despite the darkness.

"Are you sure? The akuma didn't get you anywhere?" the boy asked, with a strange curiousity.

"No, I'm fine," Harry panted, sinking to the floor once more.

"Well then, I know what just happened was traumatizing, but don't go jumping out of second storey windows!"

Harry chuckled, surprising himself. Did the boy think he was suicidal? "Don't worry, I would've been a little bruised, but fine, my body's used to things like that."

Allen raised an eyebrow at the boy, but Harry didn't see it in the darkness. He slid down to the floor, at Harry's side, silently, giving the other boy some time with his thoughts. Harry didn't know why, but he found the other boy's presence to be somewhat comforting. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Who are you?"

Allen, who had been staring at the floor in thought before, looked up, and plastered a smile on his face, "Allen Walker, nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand. Harry looked at it a while, before shaking it, "You?"

"I'm… I'm Harry, Harry Potter." Harry awaited a reaction, but none came.

Silence fell upon them again, Harry clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly, looking away from Allen, as tears silently slid down his face. Every so often, he tried – and failed - to subtly wipe them away.

"It's okay to cry, you know… to let it out…" Allen comforted. He hesitated a bit, before daring to ask, softly, "Who was he?"

Harry looked up, eyes swollen.

"He's… He was, my god father…"

He pulled his knees toward himself, and rested his head upon them.

"What… I still don't understand what happened…"

Allen placed one of his hands upon Harry's, and began, "That man… is very bad. He uses the souls of our departed loved ones to create his weapons…"

"Souls… weapons..?"

"Yes, he preys on the suffering of those left behind, and uses their despair to manipulate them into calling their loved one from beyond the grave. He uses their desire to be reunited with those they love. When the soul is called back, it is trapped within the dark matter skeleton he provides. It is tied to him, and forced to do his bidding. It attacks the loved one who calls it back, and assumes their form, bound to the Earl, suffering, obeying his every command despite not wanting to. They lose their free will, become slaves… weapons…"

Harry's eyes opened wider, and his sobs were audible now. He buried his face in Allen's shirt, crying, and blaming himself.

"I… I knew it w..was wrong. I told myself that I sh…shouldn't try to bring the dead back to life, but I still gave in… I'm h…horrible. I made Sirius suffer… I took away his freedom again… and I d..didn't even g..get to apologize. I'm the worst…"

Allen just let him cry it out.

"I'm weak… he must be so mad, so disappointed… everyone will be disappointed…"

After Harry's sobs began to die down, Allen spoke.

"You're not week… you were strong enough to fight against the temptation, even though in the end, your desire to see him won out. But that's because you love him, not because you're weak. It's just that the Earl is despicable for playing with people's emotions like that."

Harry didn't respond, his head buried in his arms upon his knees once again.

"Also, he's not mad… he said so when he was leaving… he loves you, and he wants you to live happily... are you going to ignore his last request?"

Harry raised his head, saying "No, I'm going to fight. I'm going to make him proud no matter what! And when I'm done, I'll find a way to repent…"

He was ready, he'd hear that prophecy one more time, and he'd double his efforts in taking out snake face and protecting his friends.

Allen smiled at the boy's spirit.

"… I'm just sorry I had to make him face the pain of death again though…"

"You didn't, I didn't kill him, I purified him. He was smiling when he left."

"How do you – "

Allen just smiled and stood up, offering Harry a hand, which he took.

"We should probably get out of this dark alley, and you should head back home."

Harry followed Allen out of the alleyway.

"I'm all for getting out of the dark, but I don't think I'm ready to see my friends yet… or to go back to Number Four…"

Harry walked out of the alley and Allen followed him.

"You're sure you're not hurt anywhere, right?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Well, I'm sure you didn't get infected with akuma oil, you'd have been dead already, but no other injuries?"

"Nope. If you didn't catch me before, I might have had a few minor ones from fa – "

As they stepped into the light, Harry saw his savior properly for the first time. He was too scared and stressed during the encounter at the house to really _look_ at him; but now he could. The boy was about his height, and looked to be about his age. But he was the strangest boy Harry had ever seen. Lightning bolt scar? No way, try pentagram shaped scar, running down over his eye and down his cheek. Add that to his snow white hair, and his long black claw of a left arm, and well, did he need to explain anymore?

Harry stared for a bit, and Allen smiled nervously back. Realizing he was being impolite, Harry shook himself out of it, and continued.

"Anyways, thanks for saving me… how did you know I was in danger? Wait, why didn't the Order members come in before…?

Allen didn't understand the last part of the question, or how the boy was affiliated with the Order, but he answered the first part.

"I was in the park over there," he pointed to the area Harry was steering them toward, "When I got a bad feeling from your direction, I was curious so I ran toward it. When I got there, your house was surrounded in a dark matter barrier, and I could sense the akuma inside. I used my sword to shatter the barrier, and then I purified the akuma, that's when the others were able to come into the house.

"Dark matter? You sensed the akuma? How did you free Sirius… why did you help me…?"

Allen smiled, "I helped because you were in danger, plus, it's my job. I'm an exorcist."

"An exorcist?"

"Yes, we are part of an organization called the Black Order, and our job is to protect people from the akuma and to save the souls trapped in the akuma. The Millennium Earl is our sworn enemy."

Allen surmised that the order Harry had referred to before wasn't the Black Order, for he genuinely seemed as thought this was all news to him.

"Okay…" he said, sitting in a swing. Allen followed suit.

"Hmmm… ahhh, I have a headache… enough of this… let's talk about something else… how old are you?"

Allen smiled at Harry, looked up at the sky and answered, "I'll be seventeen this year. What about you?"

"I'll be sixteen this month." Harry said.

Allen's eyes lit up, "When? If I'm still around, can I come to your birthday party? Will there be cake? And lots of food?"

Harry stared at Allen, marveling at the speed with which he spoke, and the transformation from mature to so childlike. Allen stared back at him and started laughing, and he began to laugh too.

"I was just kidding… in any case I probably wouldn't be around."

"No, I wouldn't mind. But there won't be a party. If my birthday is being celebrated at all, then I won't even be here," Harry replied, with a wistful look in his eyes, "Yeah, hopefully by my birthday, I'll be with Ron and Hermione. If there's one good thing to come out from tonight, it's that most likely, I'll get to be with them sooner."

It was the first time Allen had seen Harry smile.

"Are they your friends?"

"The best."

"Well, take good care of them."

"Always."

"Harry, if there was one good thing to come out of tonight, I'd say it was meeting you."

Harry looked startled, but eventually his face broke into a warm smile again, and he said "Same here Allen. If I ever have a birthday party, with lots of food and cake, I'll try my best to reach you and invite you."

Both boys smiled at each other and shook on it.

"Well, I should probably head back, before everyone gets a heart attack. Wonder if I'll be expelled…"

"Huh, why would you be expelled?" Allen inquired, getting up to escort Harry back home.

"Oh, it's nothing, don't mind me. By the way, you don't have to take me back, I'll be fine along the way. Plus, if they see you, they'll want to ask you questions, they'll ask me more questions…. And I don't think I'm ready to answer them just yet."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't let them see me," Allen replied, with his good natured smile in place.

"Hey, Allen, is it bad that when they ask what happened I'm going to give a very heavily edited story… in which you and Sirius play no part? I just don't think I can share what happened…. Not even with Ron and Hermione for now."

"That's fine Harry, everyone has private stuff that they have to come to terms with on their own. Just remember, you're not at fault. So keep moving forward and learn from this experience."

"Thanks Allen."

The two continued to walk in companionable silence for a while, until Harry asked, "Hey Allen, I don't mean to be rude, but what happened to your left arm, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, I was born with this, it turned out to be my anti akuma weapon."

"Oh, well, it saved my life tonight. Thanks again."

"No problem, now, can I ask you something?" Allen's smile morphed into a serious expression.

"Um, sure…" Harry wondered what Allen had to ask him. The only thing noteworthy about him was his scar, and standing next to Allen, that was almost invisible.

Allen dipped his hands into one of his coat pockets and pulled out some shiny stones.

"What are those?"

"These are anti akuma weapons."

Harry inched closer, wanting to touch the glowing gems, but looking wearily from the innocent [1] looking stones, to Allen's left arm. He liked his arm just the way it was thank you very much. Allen noticed and began to chuckle.

"Don't worry. They won't become part of your body if you touch them. I told you, I was born with mine."

He offered to stones to Harry, but as Harry's fingertips barely brushed an innocence fragment, there was a spark, and a small blast pushed Harry backward. Allen seemed very shocked at first, but quickly got over it and went to Harry's side.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen. I just thought you might be compatible. I guess I was wrong. Are you all right?"

"Hehe… you seem to be asking me that a lot today. I'm fine. But, what happened?"

Harry had noticed that Allen was trying really hard to mask an incredulous look.

"Nothing, I'm just surprised at the reaction, that's all. You see, only certain people can wield the innocence - that's what it's called. I thought you might be one. I'm just surprised you weren't compatible, that's all." Allen smiled back.

"Oh…" Harry was a little downhearted that he couldn't wield an anti akuma weapon. He wondered if his magic would work against akuma… it didn't seem to have any effect on the Earl.

"Don't worry, it's probably a good thing. Once the higher ups find out about compatible users, they force them to become an exorcist even if they don't want to..." Allen said, a dark shadow falling over his face.

"Are you..?"

"Oh, no," he replied, brightening up again, "I choose to be an exorcist, because I want to help protect this world."

Harry smiled back. They were at the corner of Privet Drive now.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you here," Allen said.

"Yeah, thanks again for everything," Harry replied, shaking Allen's hand, "I hope we can see each other again… without the near death situation."

Allen beamed, "Yeah, I hope so too. Maybe… one day… Definitely! You owe me birthday cake," he chuckled, "But until then," he pulled out a pen and a paper form his coat, "If something ever happens, and you're in danger, and you really need my help, you can call this number, okay?" he said, handing Harry a paper with Komui's phone number on it.

"Thanks," Harry replied, pocketing the number.

"Well, take care," Allen replied, and with one last flash of his brilliant smile and a leap, he was gone from Harry's sight.

"You too," Harry replied to night, sure that Allen was still watching him, as he completed the trek back to Number Four, prepared to be fussed over, interrogated and scolded all at once. It was going to be a long night. Actually, with what he experienced today, it was going to be a long forever, living with this new knowledge and memories, then, if you add on his usual life dramas… oh well… he had to face it.

**[1] no pun intended, really. I only noticed when I was rereading.**

**So, there's the chapter. As previously mentioned, I forgot what I had originally planned for this story, but my mind's been concocting schemes, worry not. Originally, I thought my way of thinking hadn't changed that much from when I started this, so I thought I'd end up with more or less what I had originally planned, but after writing this, and based on the few things I have remembered from my original, I have realized this isn't so. This has only been confirmed by me finding the original chapter two, just a few moments ago, and realizing I had set up the story to be TOTALLY different. But as this is the track my mind seems to be working on at the moment, this is what I will go with. I'm really excited to resume this story.**

**For those of you who are wondering, when the Earl appeared in Harry's room, by the time the wizards around realized something was off, the Earl had already set up a kekkai to prevent them from interrupting [and slapping sense into young Potter], as he was aware of their presence. However, he did not consider that our favourite little exorcist would be passing through.**

**And… on to the excuses. Do I really have to list them? I can assure you, I've had a lot going on in my life, and when I did find free time, it was to relax, by READING updated fics, or manga. I've recently been obsessed with Rave Master. It's not that I was neglecting Accepted, ALL of my fics haven't been updated in years. Once again, I'm sorry… but only I can know how my time works out for me. I'll try to keep up the updates, because I do so love writing, but it all depends on how things are at home.**

**Hope you enjoyed the fic. I know this chapter wasn't much, but hopefully the story will start to fit perfectly together soon. **


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